Volunteers Week – Guest Blog Post
This week is volunteers week and the Volunteer Centre Aberdeenshire are having a display in Stonehaven library where you can get advice on all aspects of volunteering and information on local volunteering opportunities. So why not pop along to the library and have a look and see if you can find anything that interests you?
In the meantime read a blog post from Volunteer Centre Aberdeenshire (South):
Volun
teers Week is an annual event that takes place between 1st and 7th June. This years it celebrates its 30th anniversary. Volunteer Centre Aberdeenshire are planning events all over the area and are encouraging volunteers and voluntary groups to get involved. Make this year special and show your volunteers how valuable they are to your service and do something special for them. Here are some ideas to think about.
The Saltire Awards (for 12-25 year olds) recognises the time young volunteers give to your organisation. If they have done enough hours to be eligible for a certificate then perhaps you could hold an award ceremony to give out the certifcates – and get all the volunteers together at one time – and make it a special event. If they have not yet signed up for this award, then get them to do it now. Contact the Volunteer Centre on how to do this.
The Young Aberdeenshire Volunteer Award (for 5-15 year olds) has been introduced within Aberdeenshire schools. Volunteer Centre Aberdeenshire would like community groups and local charities that offer volunteering opportunities to young people to support this award. The award recognises small blocks of volunteering (10, 20, 30 and 45+ hours) and is administered by Volunteer Centre Aberdeenshire (VCA), supported by The Aberdeenshire Community Planning Partnership. Again a great time to give out the certificates at some sort of ceremony.
The Aberdeenshire Volunteer Award recognises the valuable contribution that volunteers make to communities. If you have a volunteer who has given their time for a number of years you can nominate them for an award. The awards recognise individual commitment for 5, 10 and 15 years and for 20 years or more there is a Lifetime Volunteering Achievement Award
Put on a special event. Perhaps your group works from a centre and could use it to put a special event, party, open day, coffee morning, jumble sale, etc. Or perhaps you could get together with other organisations and hold a joint event. Invite all the users of your service, staff and volunteers. Make a big event of it. Invite the local press. If your group is planning anything like this then the Volunteer Centre would love to hear about it. We could advertise it on our website and in our newsletters.
Get your staff to Volunteer – for a day with another organisation. Get in touch with other groups and offer to swap staff for a day. It’s a great way of networking and seeing what other groups are doing in the area and raising awareness of your own organisation. Or perhaps your staff could volunteer in the local community, get involved in a local beach clean up, make nest boxes for birds, do a neighbours garden, etc
Put on a Sponsored Event. You know the sort of thing! A sponsored walk, silence, swim, donut eating!!! The list is endless. Again a good way of raising awareness of your organisation and also a good way of raising money – perhaps to fund a party/celebration for your volunteers and recognising the valuable contribution they give to your organistion and the people who use it
Put a display together highlighting the work of your organisation, with pictures, volunteer stories, volunteer achievements, information on your organisation and details of how to volunteer. Perhaps you can put this up in the office, in your centre, at the community centre, in the local library or the local supermarket.
Write a press release and submit it to your local newspaper asking them to publicise your group or to tell them about your plans for volunteer week. Or get in touch with the local radio station to see if they will do a program about the organisation or any events coming up.
Give it a go – If you’re new to Volunteering then Volunteers Week is a fantastic opportunity to try it out with lots of events planned to get involved . Everyone has their own reasons for volunteering. Ask a volunteer – many will tell you that they get just as much out of volunteering as they put in, if not more!
Raise awareness of your organisation –Volunteers Week is a fantastic opportunity to raise the awareness of what your organisation does, highlight the work of your volunteers and to attract other volunteers. It may also be a chance for your group, its staff and volunteers to have some fun!!!
These are just some ideas you could do for Volunteers Week. Perhaps you have your own ideas and plans. Volunteer Centre Aberdeenshire would love to hear what they are. And we could get involved, help you plan your event, or get you involved with our plans.
Contact the Volunteer Centre Aberdeenshire (South)
72a High Street, Banchory
Kincardineshire AB31 5SS
Tel: 01330 825794
Or email south@vcaberdeenshire.org.uk
Development Officers
Val.Cameron@vcaberdeenshire.org.uk
Gary.Donaldson@vcaberdeenshire.org.uk
Our visit our website at www.vcaberdeenshire.org.uk
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